As the western year of 2018 comes to an end, many will be engaging in the tradition of making "New Year's Resolutions". It may be that some repeat the same "resolution" every year with varying degrees of success in remaining resolute/steadfast/unwavering in their promise to either do something different, or not do something habitual...such as stopping smoking, committing to more exercise, study, quality time with family, finding a new job, going to worship consistently and so on. Some may go beyond...to being resolute, determined to "make the world a better place" not a platitude, but a plan of action.

​This week, Christmas week for many-(Christmas celebrations have different dates for different Christian communities spanning the 12 Holy Nights from Christmas Eve until the Feast of the Three Kings on January 6)-I am drawing from a history all should know but most have never been exposed to...about a group of committed, conscionable young Germans who stood resolute in the face of constant danger, against the forces of Fascism, the rise of the Nazis, their dictator, the Gestapo (the enforcers) and the submission and support of Hitler by the majority of their fellow citizens. They remained steadfast in their mission even during their imprisonment and violent executions. The Nazis tried to erase their actions and identities but one member escaped with documents and a few photos retrieved as testimony to their courageous and noble efforts against the mighty force and evils of Fascism. Their lives and deaths, are a testament to what is possible when a few brave, "good" people stand up for what they know is "right". Theirs is one of the shining examples of remaining resolute and expanding the capability of our human spirit. They called themselves: The White Rose.

"The White Rose" was organized by university (mostly medical) students who spoke out against Hitler and the Nazi regime. The founder, Hans Scholl, was a former member of Hitler Youth who was horrified with Nazi ideology once its real aims became apparent to him. As a student at the University of Munich in 1940-41, he met two Roman Catholic men of letters who redirected his life. Turning from medicine to religion, philosophy, and the arts, Hans Scholl gatheredlike-minded friends and his sister, Sophie Scholl, who also despised the Nazis, and the "White Rose" was created. Even though they were constantly watched, they managed to compose, print and distribute leaflets citing examples of brutality, hypocrisy and the evils of Hitler and the Nazis. They exposed the atrocities against Jewish, Roma people and against the Polish nobility. They reminded people of the great thinkers throughout history and included quotations from philosophers and called for "Resistance". They published and distributed six leaflets throughout Germany. One of these leaflets was smuggled out of Germany

The White Rose was motivated by the highest ethical and moral principles and urged "non-violent" protest which ultimately was crushed by brutal violence against them. During the distribution at night by members of The White Rose, someone saw them leave the leaflets and reported this to the Gestapo who immediately arrested seven members of The White Rose. Hans and his sister, Sophie Scholl were among them. (see photos below)

After interrogation by the Gestapo, a hastily assembled "People's Tribunal Court" found them 'guilty' and the Nazi regime pushed for a speedy execution and no report in any media since these were young, bright, intelligent, Christian German citizens who were against the reigning Nazi regime. Most of the transcripts of the court hearing were destroyed or "lost" but the last words of Hans Scholl were "Long Live Freedom" as recorded by more than one witness who survived the war. Other members were arrested and most received long prison sentences or were transported to concentration camps where they perished.

No one knew for certain exactly how many members and supporters of The White Rose there actually were. The White Rose tracts, later distributed throughout Germany and occupied Europe, brought hope and encouragement to prisoners and subjugated peoples.The final White Rose leaflet was intercepted by Allied forces, with the result that, in the autumn of 1943, millions of copies were dropped over Germany by Allied aircraft. Unfortunately by time this happened the main founders of The White Rose had been tortured and executed by guillotine, by the German Gestapo.

However, one surviving member who was arrested, interrogated and then released (probably, she says, because she was already a "war widow" at 29 years old-her young husband was killed on the Russian front) was able to speak about her role and her acquaintance with the Scholl family. Her name was Lilo Furst-Ramdoor. She was born on October 11, 1913 and died at the age of 99 years on May 13, 2013. There have been a few books in German and English about The White Rose with varying degrees of accuracy. Most would be described as historical docudramas. A film was made about Sophie Scholl's life. It is entitled: "Sophie Scholl-The Final Days". This film was not released until 2005, in Germany-60 years after World War II ended in Germany. The film received positive reviews for the writing and performances. https://123movies.show/sophie-scholl-the-final-days/

The White Rose members were the true non-violent "Anti Fascists" and I feel certain they would not recognize nor support the current "Antifa" groups which claim to be anti-fascist, but have no tangible, accurate idea or understanding of what real "fascism" is and how it manifests. Moreover, many participants of these "Antifa movements" and protests which have led to violence, were paid to protest by organizations funded by the billionaire disruptor, Hungarian born, Nazi sympathizer, George Soros. Their tactics against those they target are extremely "fascist", disruptive, emotional and even violent.

Antifa groups do not appeal to reason or urge following noble ideals. They more closely resemble the actions of the "Brownshirts" during the rise and infiltration of the Nazis in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s. (see photo above) Moreover, the "psychological warfare and double speak" Antifa employs by claiming anyone, any movement, any organization they target is "a fascist" twists and contrives a mindset which obscures their real agenda. It is deliberately confusing to name call in order to hide the fact that they are projecting and re-inventing a term that once was understood to be specific, powerful and nefarious. Actual Fascist examples include the dictators Adolf Hitler of the Third Reich in Germany, and General Francisco Franco who created a military, Fascist dictatorship in Spain. These regimes were ruthless and targeted their own citizens.

The "Open Society", "MoveOn.org", "Black Lives Matter" and "Antifa" groups are funded by people and organizations (mostly with money from George Soros-see links below) who seemingly support chaos, out of which they then will come in to "restore order" in a methodical, fascist process. They promote censorship (PC, thought "policing") gun confiscation, loss of individual liberties and property, of those deemed politically (according to them) incorrect and therefore "dangerous". But they are the real danger. They also support "Islamofascism" in the form of promoting punishment for any criticism of Islam to be "hate speech", "Islamophobic" and "racist". They fund pro Sharia law groups generously. They work for laws against free speech. Be aware and alert!

In 2014, Soros openly admitted on CNN that the Open Society Foundation was involved in the violent overthrow of Ukraine’s government, which resulted in Russia banning Soros and his NGOs from the country the following year.“Merkel’s plan” to inundate Europe with Muslims is also George Soros’ plan, as he openly admits himself."In January 2017, an initiative called Stop Operation Soros (SOS) was launched in the Balkan nation of Macedonia to counter the influence of globalist billionaire George Soros.The founder of the group called on all “free-minded citizens” to join them in the “fight against one-mindedness in the civil sector, which is devised and led by George Soros”, reports a Slovenian newspaper.Soros-funded non-government organizations have monopolized civil society in Macedonia and used their influence to suppress dissenting views by violent means in that country, said SOS co-founder Nikola Srbov." www.yogaesoteric.net/content.aspx?lang=EN&item=14861​"A May 2016 internal report of the International Migration Institute (IMI), an official project of Soros’ Open Society Foundation, boasted of providing the funding for the Sutherland Report, the blueprint for Europe’s migration catastrophe authored by Goldman Sachs billionaire Sir Peter Sutherland, now the UN secretary-general’s special representative on international migration. The same report by top IMI staffers Anna Crowley and Kate Rosin, entitled Migration Governance and Enforcement Portfolio Review calls for “accepting the current crisis as the new normal”. Soros also provides funding for the Columbia Global Policy Initiative (CGPI) at Columbia University, which hosts the secretariat for Peter Sutherland’s UN migration office."

"A September 27, 2007 e-mail from John Podesta to Soros, Peter Lewis, Steve Bing, and other left-wing billionaires outlined his plans for parlaying the vast network they had financed into a media “echo chamber” that would “control the political discourse”."Several thousand hacked e-mails released by WikiLeaks and DCLeaks have provided plenty of condemning evidence to justify initiating a whole series of investigations into “Lord of Chaos”. George Soros and his Open Society Foundation were convicted of insider trading and exposed for money laundering. Not surprisingly, the controlled establishment media has almost completely ignored this, prompting an editorial from Investor’s Business Daily entitled The Bizarre Media Blackout of Hacked George Soros Documents." www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203476804576614442587262696

The Financial Times just announced their pick for "Person of the Year" would be George Soros. I wonder how much that title cost? www.ft.com/soros

"Soros-funded, arch-left-wing groups, coupled with the Hamas/Muslim Brotherhood front group CAIR (The Council on American–Islamic Relations), are all in blatant violation(s) of America's non-profit IRS regulations, when such Soros bankrolled leftist groups pay mobs of thugs to riot, attack conservatives, and I fear, will also support the likes of lurking Hamas & ISIS sleepers in co-plotting domestic terrorist attacks, based on their duel blind hatred for the American voters, for defeating a continuation of anti-American agenda of Obama, in the victory election of President Trump. " www.thenewamerican.com/culture/biography/item/25189-george-soros-the-god-who-should-be-jailed​"Soros is in charge of a massive continuing criminal enterprise dedicated to America’s destruction. If there truly were justice in the world, Soros would be arrested and OSF assets would be seized under RICO. It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. And for once, Soros’ billions would be put to good use." canadafreepress.com/article/george-soros-open-society-foundations-just-became-the-second-largest-in-the

Whatever your resolutions this year - be they on a purely personal level, a micro or macro level action- be steadfast and alert and know you can be guided, protected, directed always-if you are resolute in your search for truth and integrity.

I am including a beautiful, original song entitled: "STEADFAST" by Sandra McCracken who was a singer my son Denali introduced me to when he was alive. Her words/lyrics are timeless, her voice clear and her message uplifting. Go ahead click on the link and listen/watch for three minutes: www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5PGwsgYrCs​Enjoy your holidays, your family-if you are able to be with them- my daughter is climbing a mountain in New Zealand, and I am far away from anyone I know here in China, but it is my choice for this year. May you keep your resolutions, your celebrations and your memories.

Closing with a photo of my son Denali in Karahenj, Armenia. He asked for his photo to be posed with the sun illuminating him from behind and his facial features less discernible in the sunlight. I took the photo in the Fall of 2008, and share it with you. It is the sixth Christmas/New Year's we are without Denali. It does not get easier but we persevere, stay steadfast and resolute.

We spend about one third of our life sleeping. Out of the average of seven hours per night that adults need to sleep to restore their physical and emotional bodies, most people will dream for about 25% of their REM/deep sleep stages. There is voluminous research on sleep and dreams from many different scientific disciplines in a number of different countries. Probably the most well known writer on dreams and their meaning to an individual, was the psychologist Carl Gustav Jung from Switzerland (1875-1961). Carl Jung created the term 'collective unconscious' which was a deeper step into understanding what possibly connects us as human beings. From his study of many cultures and individuals, he determined that dreaming itself was a phenomenon, an activity, that all human beings experienced whether they were aware of their dreams or not. He also cataloged what he believed were the 12 main archetypes which were 'universal' and could assist one in determining one's life path, could assist in reflection on life's challenges and aid an individual in their own dream analysis. (See chart) An archetype has been defined in psychological terms as part of a language of symbols. When an individual has a dream with a powerful archetype it may also be a door to a "collective" unconscious. "The dream that contains an archetype often has a mythical quality. Instead of scenes that seem like the everyday world, the dream takes you to a place that feels ancient, from another time, or like a fairy tale. . . . Another sign is that things are bigger than life or smaller than life. Archetypes may also present themselves as otherworldly animals: talking lions, griffins, dragons, flying horses". They may be recognizable natural forms such the ocean, the highest mountain, an iceberg, the stars or human creations such as castles, dungeons, machines, clocks, a ship-for example. aristocratsofthesoul.com/an-easy-guide-to-jungian-dream-interpretation/However, the more ancient societies and many Indigenous cultures, as well as most religions, point to a more otherworldly and Divine hand in dreams. Messages may be carried through dreams. The Holy Bible and many other religious texts recount dreams of some of their noted prophets, rabbis, priests, rulers and ordinary people with extrasensory abilities. Throughout human history there have been "seers" - those who have had prescient dreams, dreams which foretell or foretold the future or transmitted important messages such as where an enemy was hiding, or where to find a lost child. People have spoken of dreams in which "texts" appeared which they wrote down upon waking, or a 'painting' or a 'dance' created in their dreams. Dreams were sometimes warnings of danger ahead, plotting or death. Many societies cultivated those members who were known to have special abilities to interpret dreams. These people were advisers to the those in power and served an important purpose in their society.

Today, these "advisers" are often those treating people with emotional ailments and they are called, psychoanalysts; dream analysis is part of their toolkit for treatment. There are many strategies for helping patients who have insomnia or recurrent nightmares which impede their ability to sleep. They include "inception" or inserting ideas on a conscious level before sleep in order to change the direction and even the resolution of a dream to be less frightening or more affirming. I know because early in my life through my paternal grandmother and by being part of an experimental program during my time at Georgetown University, I interpreted, introduced lucid dreaming strategies, and inception into my own dreams and dutifully wrote down my remembered dreams for many decades. Later in life I consulted with elders and "clever" women and men as well as Wicaska Wakan (Holy men or "Medicine men") who guided me further into the Dreamtime and dream realm. This post will discuss part of those experiences.

​"Most people dream anywhere from four to seven times per night, with each dream progressively lasting longer as the body remains sleeping. If a person has a particularly striking dream, it may seem like it lasts an hour or more, but the truth is that most dreams are short. What happens is that when a person falls asleep dreaming doesn't start immediately. A person will typically go through a first of a series of sleep cycles." sleep.lovetoknow.com/How_Many_Times_a_Night_Do_People_Dream

Scan of original (typed) letter from Dr. Alexander Christakis to Dr. Arnold Mysior and Dr. Jack Shuman of the first Psycho-cybernetics course at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1973-1974

.According to contemporary psychoanalytical definitions:"A dream is an involuntary and spontaneous product of the unconscious mind, and is usually obscure and difficult to understand because it is made up of symbols and pictures. In attempting to understand the dream-language, Jung uses a method of sort of similar to deciphering symbols. The first step in understanding a dream, he considers, is to establish its context. This means discovering the significance of the various images it presents. For example, one's mother might appear in a dream. Everyone has a concept of what mother implies, but for each person the image of a mother is different, and the significance of this image will even vary from time to time. The thought of mother may for one person be associated with love, care, and protection, and for another with power, anger, or frustration and so the meaning of a dream of mother can vary accordingly. As far as possible, each image or symbol must be taken in turn till its meaning for the dreamer is established as nearly as possible, and not until this has been carefully done is one in a position to understand what the dream may mean.​" www.psychologycampus.com/dream-psychology/carl-jung.html

My grandmother often had prescient dreams and had the scenes or warnings in her dreams confirmed later in the waking world state. When I stayed at her house in Brooklyn, New York, or saw her when she visited, we would speak about our dreams and sometimes she would offer her interpretation. It became a normal part of my life to discuss with her what happened in my unconscious. She also alerted me to significant "spirits" or symbols to look for and remember in my dreams.

My junior year at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service (SFS) in Washington, D.C. I happened to attend one the SFS Dean's seminars where I first encountered Dr. Arnold Mysior. (1921-2015) He told me they were going to offer the first course of Psycho-cybernetics in a seminar for graduate students and I was invited to apply even though I would only be a senior the next year. I was accepted into a small seminar as the only undergraduate and the only female student. Our course "instructors" were from many sectors of society: General Alexander Haig-from the military and US government, he served as White House Chief of Staff, Secretary of State and was one of my mentors, (1924-2010) Dr. Alexander (Aleco) Christakis-Nuclear Physicist, Cybernetics and Systems Theory specialist, Greek/American (1937-) and other rotating/visiting faculty from various US agencies and think tanks. We went off campus for a number of our sessions and one of my more vivid memories is the first time I went to the Pentagon and General Haig's office there.

In addition, I also had two more years (1976-1978) in a "special program" where hypnosis and 'inception', as well as a type of 'remote viewing' skills were refined in one on one sessions with Dr. Mysior, sometimes as many as three times a week. uk.iacworld.org/full-list-of-different-types-of-psychic-abilities-here/ I was a type of human guinea pig, though at the time (I was 20 years old when I started), I didn't realize it. After the initial year (two semesters in my senior year) I wrote a paper putting forth my original thoughts into a social science format. (see scanned letter) I also started to note the significant change in my dreams to more global landscapes, landscapes I hadn't seen before and events beyond my personal scope of experience. I began to categorize my personal symbols and archetypes that were recurring in my own dreams. I was also given "hypotheticals" /situations that posed a problem and how one could inject a "thought" or "question" into a dream and to another dreamer at a distance. One technique I was taught was to introduce a thought just before going to sleep, if I thought I might have a recurring dream or nightmare. This could be "I can fly out of any situation". I was to repeat this consciously as I was going to sleep and also make a conscious effort to remember my dreams. As one "homework" assignment, I was taught to program myself to wake up at a certain time and immediately write down either my dream or what I was feeling just at that moment and then program myself to "go back to sleep". Later on I learned how to go directly into deep sleep for only ten minutes and emerge/wake up "rested". What some people might now label "power naps". This was a different type of discipline and mastery over body functions.

Unfortunately, some of the experimentation involving hypnosis was still in the "process stage". Years later I suffered some aphasia and had intrusive remoteviewing scenes and eidetic* images and retrocognition glimpses I couldn't explain. At the time, very few books in the west contained any verifiable information on these phenomenon. There were books in Russian, Sanskrit, Chinese and Latin, I later learned, but most had not yet been translated into English. I needed to seek out a more adept interpreter and also review my earlier 'training' and childhood trauma with more detail. A very respected, but also controversial psychoanalyst, Dr. Charles Socarides (also Greek/American) agreed to see me. He was one of the doctors for US Naval Intelligence officers in addition to his long list of other patients/clients. He was somewhat familiar with some of the experimental programs I had undergone and could help me sort out what may have been "cover" (in hypnosis) and what was "real" in terms of what "I saw" in my dreams, my memories and what I witnessed in my waking reality. We worked together on some "untuning" of experiences for over three years, in order for me to have more control over what I was "seeing" and how to discern and analyze. His was a more western medical, scientific approach and it helped considerably. (see links below for more bio information on the people I have written about here) People have tried to discredit Dr. Charles Socarides, but he was a skilled and gifted healer of the mind for many, although for one of his own children-he felt he had not been able to "help" him when he was conflicted about his sexuality. The last time I was able to consult with him in person in New York was in 2002. He died in 2005. One of his articles is linked below.

As my life evolved I met more "spiritually trained" elders at the Zen center near San Francisco. One was Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk who had been a bridge between Catholicism and Buddhism as well as science and theology. (see link below) He prompted me to expand my understanding of my dreams as part of my "calling" and shortly thereafter I moved to Australia with my husband and worked in the Gumbaynggir community for a number of years where their "clever" men and women had a very different perspective on dreams. Their concept of "Dreamtime" or "The Dreaming" is sophisticated and transverses many centuries. A few of their elders told me they had "called me" in my dreams. I heard/saw that invitation.

By the time my son, Denali was born in Macksville, NSW-Gumbaynggir country- I had many years of experience with dream interpretation and dream "navigation". Gumbaynggir elders were like my grandmother, in that to speak openly and freely about dreams was just an ordinary part of life and nothing "strange or weird". As the Australian Aboriginal doctor, Commissioner and writer, Dr. Helen Milroy stated: "We are part of the Dreaming. We have been in the Dreaming for a long time before we are born on this earth and we will return to this vast landscape at the end of our days. It provides for us during our time on earth, a place to heal, to restore purpose and hope, and to continue our destiny". Commissioner Helen Milroy is a descendant of the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. She was born and educated in Perth. She studied medicine at the University of Western Australia, worked as a General Practitioner and Consultant in Childhood Sexual Abuse at the Princess Margaret Hospital for Children for several years before completing specialist training in Child and Adolescent psychiatry. Dr. Milroy’s work and research interests include holistic medicine, child mental health, recovery from trauma and grief, application of Indigenous knowledge, cultural models of care, Aboriginal health and mental health, and developing and supporting the Aboriginal medical workforce. She is certified and has practiced in both New Zealand and Australia. Her approach incorporates her tribal beliefs and "dreaming" experience.

While there is some academic and personal writing about "The Dreaming" and "Dreamtime" it is usually only passed on through oral tradition and transmitted human being to certain human beings. It requires a complete change of mindset for a western raised person to start to grasp. It requires an open mind, spirit and imagination to begin. Throughout my life I have signed "confidentiality agreements" including one with Kahurangi in New Zealand (Ngati Kahungunu iwi) and gave my verbal promise to those Aboriginal elders who were part of a decade long project with interviewing, recording (by cassette and with an Aboriginal woman photographer) to record certain histories more accurately for the next generations and for a court case they sadly lost, asking for acknowledgement and compensation for their stolen children. There was also a firm, though unwritten rule about not broadcasting or writing about many realms since not only might that knowledge be used for the wrong reasons, exploited or misinterpreted; but in the wrong hands and with a 'wrong' mindset'; the power of the "Dreaming" could do actual harm. The "old fellas" are strong and all around though most never feel or sense their presence either awake or while asleep. Most non-Aboriginals will just dismiss the 60,000+ years of the "Dreamtime" and the Aboriginal co-existence with their environment-even with proven evidence by archeologists, carbon dating and other "scientific" tools of verification. They have no idea what they are missing,

gratefulness.org/brother-david/about-brother-david/The only other people I felt relaxed speaking about my dream time events and sights were some of the Lakota, Dakota, Cree, Menominee, White Mountain Apache and Kickapoo Sundancers I learned from and danced with over the years on reservations in the USA, or as many tribes call America...Turtle Island. Understanding the "visions" and images one may receive from ceremonies, fasting, meditation and learning how to ground the electric sensations that may accompany these experiences, is a skill that may be refined like any other special ability such as a "talent" for drawing, music, poetry. Many people may have a gift but it is never developed or worse, it is denigrated or denied and withers before it has a chance to grow and bloom. "There are different types of psychic abilities, and while one individual may be better at one or another, he or she may decide on further developing those skills to spend time, work and energy in developing different ones (thus enhancing her/his awareness and sensitivity to perceive beyond the five senses the other realms of reality)." Main stream society, especially now, would like to erase this knowledge and power completely because it is not 'controllable' or even predictable and maybe because they cannot 'understand it' in a sound byte, youtube video or tweet.

The importance of understanding the lexicon of our dreams, receiving the messages they offer us, connecting with our own subconscious part of our being, cannot be overstated. Much of 'modern life' aims to suppress our individual and unique connections to the collective unconscious. The sensory assault through noise, electro magnetic pulses, dizzying created images to distract us, artificial lights, constant electronic chatter via screens, phones, subliminal advertising and programming-does much to diminish our abilities to sharpen our natural senses or to sleep and dream peacefully. Our children and the next generation already have many of their dreams "incepted" and commercially sponsored-though they many never realize it. Social engineering and false narratives have constructed an etheric cage and even categorize people who do speak about dreams and visions as mentally ill or unstable or 'out of their minds'. How many messages are being sent-whether you believe they are from God, Angels or just the human collective consciousness-which will never be "received"? How many warnings have we heeded or have we been too stifled to hear or see? How many people are apathetic to what happens to them and their mind and consciousness for over one third of their life? I read more pop culture amateur psychology about dreams but very little about real "navigation".

Ponder the phrases...."Sweet Dreams" and "Dream on"...may you be blessed with clarity in your waking time and in your stages of sleep.

From the hills of Henan province, where my dreams are vivid, memorable and numerous-once again "Happy Holidays"!

*eidetic-"Vivid mental picture in the form of a dream, fantasy, or an unusual power of memory and visualization of objects previously seen or imagined. An eidetic person continues to “see” an object that is no longer objectively present. Eidetic persons behave as if they are actually seeing an item, either with their eyes closed or while looking at some surface that serves as a convenient background for the image. Furthermore, eidetic persons describe the image as if it is still present and not as if they are recalling a past event. According to some research, the incidence of eidetic imagery is very low in children (2–10 percent) in the general population and almost nonexistent in adults. (less than 1%)."www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/commissioner-helen-milroyMilroy, H. “Restoring Life and Spirit: Recovery from Trauma.” Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. Social Justice Report 2007. Sydney: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, HREOC. pg. 414

Exactly what is privacy? Most of us know when we don't have it or our privacy is violated, in fact in English there is a phrase and legalese concerning the "invasion of privacy". Invasion is an apt word to use in the context I will discuss this week. Advances in technological capability changes what we consider to be "rights to privacy". Who has the right to privacy in the 21st century? Who or what determines those rights?

Privacy is the condition of being free from observation and outside interference, being free from public scrutiny or private/corporate/government surveillance. There is a disparity in our world from country to country concerning what constitutes the actual "right" to privacy.

Cultural differences can be seen in the different outlooks on privacy between nations. For example, in Europe “the right to be forgotten” has been a focal point of regulations and court battles. This means an individual has the legal right to have his online information erased by her/his own request. The same laws ensuring one has the right to be "forgotten" in public view do not have a similar counterpart in the United States. In the U.S.A.the right of privacy can be eroded simply because you are a public figure. Who determines who is a public figure is a loophole however, some tech companies hosting sites about people may decide a living or a deceased person is of interest in the public forum. There is no recourse legally at present, to withdraw information about a person online if they are so designated. In Asia, the right of privacy takes a back seat to strengthening community through trust and accountability. "The result is a dichotomy between nations. Europe and North America prefer hard law sanctions through regulation and Asia prefers to approach privacy and data security through soft laws where transgressors make public apologies for breaches in order to regain public trust." www.bna.com/global-privacy-ethics-n57982069807/

Certain organizations and international groups have called for the creation of a "global" definition of the "right to privacy" and the assurance this right will prevail in spite of the increasing use of technology for surveillance. As the Global Internet Liberty Campaign (GILC)points out in one of it's recent publications: "Privacy is a fundamental human right recognized in the United Nations (UN) Declaration of Human Rights, the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights, and in many other international and regional treaties. "Privacy underpins human dignity and other key values such as freedom of association and freedom of speech. It has become one of the most important human rights issues of the modern age." gilc.org/privacy/survey/intro.html

GILC also points out: "The increasing sophistication of information technology with its capacity to collect, analyze and disseminate information on individuals has introduced a sense of urgency to the demand for legislation. Furthermore, new developments in medical research and care, telecommunications, advanced transportation systems and financial transfers have dramatically increased the level of information generated by each individual. Computers linked together by high speed networks with advanced processing systems can create comprehensive dossiers {Profiles} on any person without the need for a single central computer system. New technologies developed by the defense industry are spreading into law enforcement, civilian agencies, and private companies." In regard to work environments the report by GILC states: ​"The technology being used to monitor workers is extremely powerful. It can ​analyze "keystrokes" on a terminal to determine whether employees are making efficient use of their time between telephone conversations. Software companies call this process "performance monitoring." Even in workplaces staffed by highly skilled information technology specialists, bosses demand the right to spy on every detail of a workers performance. Modern networked systems can interrogate computers to determine which software in being run, how often, and in what manner. A comprehensive audit trail gives managers a profile of each user, and a panorama of how the workers are interacting with their machines. The software also gives managers total central control over the software on each individual PC. A manager can now remotely modify or suspend programs on any machine.​The technology being used extends to every aspect of a worker's life. Miniature cameras monitor behavior. "Smart" ID badges track an employee's movement around a building. Telephone Management Systems (TMS) analyze the pattern of telephone use and the destination of calls. Psychological tests, general intelligence tests, aptitude tests, performance tests, vocational interest tests, personality tests and honesty tests are all electronically assessed. Surveillance and monitoring have become design components of modern information systems.

While companies assert that all surveillance is justified, it is clear that not all uses of monitoring are legitimate." Moreover who assures the monitors for surveillance whether human or robot-yes there are AI and robot monitors now-are accountable, honest and impartial; is a primary concern for many sectors.

If you think the above cited surveillance is intrusive read what China is already implementing in factories and businesses with some of it's workers-they are literally scanning brains for evidence of anxiety, rage, depression, resistance, decrease in 'productivity', etc. Brain surveillance can take privacy abuse to a whole new level.:www.theorganicprepper.com/china-data-mining/

While the above cited examples concern adults, there is increasing surveillance and data gathering on our children. What about their right to privacy? There is a 'seamless kiddie data heist' used to cull from over 30 million students and teachers in the United States public schools using Google G Suite for Education.​“The recently passed Every Student Succeeds Act {passed in December 2015} further enshrined government collection of personally identifiable information -- including data collected on attitudes, values, beliefs and dispositions ​— and allows release of the data to third-party contractors thanks to Obama-era loopholes carved into the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. It’s not just Google doing the unauthorized child data collection thing. Apple, Microsoft, Pearson, Knewton, and other companies offering cloud-connected educational technology are doing the same thing." www.glitch.news/2018-12-02-google-now-spying-on-students-using-classroom-technology.html

You may not realize that there is a growing industry which contracts to education systems (both public and private), corporations and government agencies. These are labeled, "social observer and analytics systems" and four of the more frequently used companies as contractors to school systems (K-12) and universities in the USA, are: Digital Fly, Geo Listening, Snaptrends and Varsity Monitor. These are all privately owned USA companies which collect/gather data, analyse, flag, trouble shoot and report back to their "clients". Parents may or may not be aware their child is being monitored. (see article linked entitled): "Honestly, We're Not Spying on Kids" School Surveillance of Young People's Social Media. journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2056305116680005

Reports by reputable research centers such as Pew Research, state that one third of all US children attending public schools are using school issued tech devices. These devices, be they lap tops, note books, Ipads all have surveillance/monitoring tools/back doors/cameras built in. "Throughout EFF’s [Electronic Frontier Foundation] investigation over the past two years, we have found that educational technology services often collect far more information on kids than is necessary and store this information indefinitely. This privacy-implicating information goes beyond personally identifying information (PII) like name and date of birth, and can include browsing history, search terms, location data, contact lists, and behavioral information. Some programs upload this student data to the cloud automatically and by default. All of this often happens without the awareness or consent of students and their families." www.eff.org/wp/school-issued-devices-and-student-privacy

For children, it may be they are growing up in a family which uses tech tools to "spy" on them. They adjust to being under surveillance by those in authority as they mature, whether it be their parents, their educators, their coaches, doctors, employers or partners; and all the while-their government. It follows that many children will adapt by putting on a "mask" early in their life before developing their own authentic and unique personality. Adolescents may in fact become more secretive and find ways to circumvent parental surveillance and hide their true feelings, intentions and actions. nautil.us/issue/35/boundaries/parents-shouldnt-spy-on-their-kids

Briefly, since I only arrived a week ago, landing in Shanghai in their very efficient international airport and transferring to their domestic airlines where the services were understandably oriented to their own population and languages, was an immediate gestalt shift from Texas and Los Angeles. When I landed in Zhengzhou it was after midnight so everything was closed. I was the only non-oriental person in the arrivals area but there was a generally relaxed feeling, no martial appearances in terms of soldiers or police anywhere and even the taxi drivers offering rides were not bothersome.

Looking around at a group of people who are technically a different "race" than myself although part of the same human race, started me pondering the question of genetics again. This combined with receiving the results of genetic testing for confirmation of ideas of my own ancestry passed down in stories from family members, caused me to seek research which looked at what one civilization and medical system calls "genes" and the other calls "essence" or "natal essence". Are they really so different? Do these building blocks of our life passed through our families have so much influence as to determine our health, talents, disposition and life path? How much are we truly able to change by practicing different habits, lifestyle, education and location? Should research labs, doctors or prospective parents be able to make decisions to change genes? I discuss some of these salient points this week....from the east of our planet.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine the kidney is known to store the "congenital essence" of the individual human being. Lining up with this concept, DNA is inborn and maintains the consistent sequences carrying the genetic information from one generation to the next. The following information from research explains this link and is translated from Mandarin.

"Apparently, the congenital essence and DNA are connected. The congenital essence must be inherited from the parents. DNA thereby is a form of the congenital essence. A sperm from the father and an oocyte from the mother join together and give rise to a fertilized egg, initiating the journey of a new life. With fertilization, fertilized eggs possess a set of chromosomes from the father and another set of chromosomes from mother. In this way, the genetic material DNA is delivered and re-organized in offspring, which concurs with TCM theory that the congenital essence is gathered from the parents and kept in the kidneys. The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon Spiritual Pivot qi classificationemphasizes the kidney essence in the following passage: “Two spirituals tangle up, come into shape, so essence ensues, and then the life rises."(PDF) Does DNA Represent Kidney Essence in Traditional Chinese Medicine?https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321770353_Does_DNA_Represent_Kidney_Essence_in_Traditional_Chinese_Medicine

Whether or not you believe there is a spiritual, divine or other than human hand in the way our bodies are created and in how we come into our mother, is significant. This means that the decision not to continue growing a life that is created by two human beings, or to interfere and change the "two spirits tangling into shape" and the essence or the new DNA, is an ethical as well as simply a scientific question. There have been a number of ways to create "designer gene babies" in the USA for over two decades. There is/was a PBS documentary entitled: Frozen Angels which shows the process and selection of certain traits, how people are chosen to "donate" their eggs (with payment) and which traits are considered most "marketable and desirable". This documentary was released in 2005, but showed couples who had children with this process who were already ten years old. http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/frozenangels/index.html

While there is media attention and press about the latest developments in China with Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR), many other countries have been pursuing advanced research and experimentation with human beings for almost 20 years, yet the implications and consequences of these procedures are not debated enough in the public forum. The social repercussions of creating a more stratified society i.e. those who can afford to have genetic manipulation/enhancements and those who cannot; are serious and far reaching. www.technologyreview.com/s/612458/exclusive-chinese-scientists-are-creating-crispr-babies/?

There are some neuroscientists who have done research on the capabilities of our brain and which regions of the brain control certain skill/learning acquisition previously thought to be "inherited" or genetic such as musical ability, athletic facility, mathematical aptitude, tendencies toward addiction, etc. One of these neuroscientists who specializes in this field is Dr. Susan Greenfield. Dr. Greenfield has done extensive research on environmental effects on the development of the human brain and behavior. Her work has been attacked by large companies and those who are interested in promoting more technology and pharmacology, but I urge you to go to her website and decide for yourself after watching her lectures/videos and/or reading some of her work. (see link below) You may change your mind about what you are, and are not capable of, in your lifetime as well as what you can do to improve the overall health and functions of your brain. The idea circulating in pop sci culture is that diseases such as Parkinsons, Crohn's and Altzheimers are "inherited", however research by doctors in Australia, Israel, Spain and Italy, prove otherwise. While the tendency of an individual family may be to have a higher number of members who are diabetic or who have Altzheimers, Multiple Sclerosis or Crohn's disease, the findings are: "All these diseases, Prof. David Naor, explains, are associated with pathological amyloid proteins that could be neutralized by the 5-mer peptide. Dr. Naor has spent the last 10 years researching and developing these with the support of the university’s Yissum technology-transfer company, the Israeli government and Spherium Biomed of Spain." canadafreepress.com/article/one-drug-could-treat-alzheimers-ms-crohns-and-morewww.susangreenfield.com/

You are able improve your basic constitution even if your mother smoked and drank alcohol while she was pregnant with you, and/or had emotional issues which affected her pregnancy. The genetic code you have can be worked on without CRISPR or other procedures, but it does take human will power and the decision to abstain from foods, drinks, drugs and activities that are popular in most western countries but cause imbalances. It is a question of "education" in the best training for your own body. This requires finding a skilled diagnostician, health practitioner and master teacher for you to learn from which is not easy but is possible. The search for this combination requires diligence and often supernal guidance.

People ask me why I am in China at this stage of my life, subjecting myself to rigorous training and the practice of tai chi and chi gong full time. The answer is simple-to restore qi, restore my health and preserve what is left of my "jing" with a tradition that is thousands of years old and proven. I realized I was "out of balance" after so many years in conflict zones, high stress work, years of profound grief, trauma and sensory overload. Since I was in my twenties I heard about Shaolin, Taoist and Tibetan monks and read books I highly recommend. "Magic and Mystery in Tibet" by Alexandra David-Neal who in the 1920s walked through Tibet and started her journey when she was over 50 years old. The other book is: "Opening the Dragon Gate" by Chen Kaiguo and Zhun Shunchao, translated by Thomas Cleary-about Wang Liping-born in 1949 in China.

​Shaolin master Wang Liping had to emigrate to the west coast of the USA. My son, Denali studied briefly in Oakland with Shaolin masters in 2010. I watched a few of these sessions and hoped some day I would have the opportunity to do so as well. This is a tradition that is over fifteen hundred years old and has survived upheavals, attacks, persecution, war and commercialization-so far. It is not "the way" for everyone but like other traditions, you may be "called" to seek it out, to work toward the highest level possible and contribute even in a small way, to a unique and harmonious legacy which promotes health, discipline and vigilance against the evils in our world.